Heretics

Index

In Our Own Words

"It has never been proven that Chaos cultists are anything more than the product of the fevered imaginings of certain of the more zealous Witch Hunters. Why they have to go on and on about 'corruption from within' and 'debased orgiastic sects of the Lord of Pleasure' when the real danger is the Marauders of the north, I'll never know. I ask you, what motivation could these successful merchants, nobles, and scholars have for allying with Chaos, when they already hold positions of such eminence within the Empire? It would be like a queen bee poisoning her own hive."

— Albrecht Kinear, Professor Emeritus at the University of Nuln, speaking at a commission to advise the Elector Count of Nuln on the threat of Chaos

"What man of Miklgardr has ever paid a toll to sail the seas? We are pirates. We are Norscan. We are the wolves of the sea, and everything in the sea is our prey. You are our prey."

— Dalla Ulfarsdottir, Norse Shieldmaiden

"What choice did I have? I would be a loyal son of the Empire yet, had my hand not begun to change. I did nothing to make it occur. I read no proscribed books. I learned no profane rituals. I followed by teachers' instructions to the letter, and still I changed. Could I go to my professors and tell them my plight? Could I ask for mercy at the Temple of Sigmar? No. The only mercy the Empire gives its twisted children is the axe. What could I do? I wanted to live. I did not want my great mind to go to waste merely because one of my limbs had betrayed me."

— Magus Lichtmann, Warlock Engineer

"Is it so wrong to want to be on the winning side? Year by year the Beastmen grow bolder and the Marauders stronger. Year by year there are more Mutants, and worse, within the borders of the Empire. The Emperor is fighting a losing battle. I am a pragmatist first and foremost; the Empire has made me rich, but Chaos will help me to survive when Middenheim is in flames and its people are food for Beastmen or sacrifices to the Blood God. Survive and even prosper. The Master of Fortune is good to those who revere him."

"Horrified at the fate of their companion, the remaining adventurers chastised the daemon, who replied that they should simply be more specific in their wish-making."

— Mishka Levkov, Tomb Robber

"As for the infant, it might grow up more quickly than an ordinary child. Some of them do. Anyway, altering folk is worthwhile for its own sake. You might even say it's a sacrement."

— 'Mama' Solveig Weiss, Healer, Midwife & Heretic

Scholar's View

"There was a time, before your affliction, when you knew quite a bit about everyone in Miragliano. But perhaps the rot has crawled into your brain as well as your hand."

— Brunner the Bounty Hunter

"He who is touched by Chaos, may harm Chaos... but must always beware, lest he become the instrument of Chaos instead of its destroyer."

— Astyanax, Tilean Enchanter

"Kill the corrupted. They're beyond saving. Do it now, or we all die!"

— Jakob Wolff, Warrior-Priest of Sigmar

"This symbol is agony to you. Much more than the burning. For such as you, the very presence of holiness is pain. You deserve nothing less."

— Annika Bohringer, Witch Hunter

"The cults of our blessed Empire often act as frightened vengeful children, squabbling amongst themselves. Yet, we forget that while we fight each other, the forces of Chaos and its minions wait to take us all by surprise."

— Avemar Teinhoff of Carroburg, Celestial Magister of the Celestial Order

"Whatever has put the taint on them, their fate is still the same. Heretics burn."

— Inquisitor Gualtiero Bocca, Solkanite War-priest

"You have tormented me more than you know with your elaborate account of these forces of Chaos which threaten the world in so many different ways, and to which my own brother sold his soul."

"Albrecht Kinear, former Professor of the University of Nuln, this court finds you guilty of trafficking with Daemons amd selling your soul to Chaos. You profaned the high office and renown with which you were entrusted when you joined the Silver Wheel society here in Nuln, and you compounded our damnation when you steeped yourself so thoroughly in its dark and sorcerous teachings as to be made its leader. Your already unforgiveable crimes are made still worse by your continual deliberate misdirection of legitimate authority with your false pronouncements on Chaos and many another matter. Gunther, Hans—take him outside and burn him. Now."

— Vorster Pike, Witch Hunter, speaking at the commission to advise the Elector of Nuln on the threat of ChaosAlbrecht of Nuln, was burned at the stake 1301 IC for pernicious declamation.

"There are gods of wrath and horror, whose domain in growing in the world of men. The cause is terror, for when men see evil in the world, and fear it will claim them, their courage often fails, and they try to placate the force of evil instead of standing against them."

— Orfeo, Bretonnian Minstrel, recounting a warning of the Chaos threat ministered by the Morrian Father Superior of the Border Princedom of Aldium, in the Khyprian empire

"They have raped and pillaged the coasts of the Old World for centuries, putting towns and temples alike to the sword. They are a treacherous people, brother. Daemon-ridden and corrupt. They bathe in foetid pools that glow in night, and make offerings to twisted idols. They venerate the mutant, the beastman and the marauder. They are not worthy of your blood or your sacrifice."

Five years ago I was washed up on Fisherman's Steps in Marienburg, after my companion Herr Templin & I completed the arduous though rewarding task of envisioning the original theatrical stage production Border Town Burning. After our journey I began describing concepts and themes to him based on my ideas for what could dare follow such an epic project! My confidant was curious. I had a lot of work to put in before I could claim to have something comparable to what my conspirator already had in his hands when I first discovered him skulking around in the Cathayan Borderlands!

My name is Ruprecht Drinkwater, heretic playwright, street performer and suspected were-creature and this maritime manifest was to be my sentence.

Cianty: Every Mordheim setting should convey a unique feel, not only atmospherically but also ruleswise. This is often attributed to a different environment represented by the terrain and weather rules. The Empire in Flames supplement introduced the open plains of the Empire, filled with forest sections and small village dwellings and fields. In Border Town Burning we had a similar environment, a rather open gaming board with forest sections. Ruleswise EiF introduced wagons and carts and this theme was expanded on in BTB with the Merchant Caravan warband and the feel of journeying (also represented in the objectives). Now we are back in the Old World, again, expanding and continuing the previously introduced concepts and ideas. So what is the overall feel and theme of Marienburg? Have a guess...

Werekin: On the surface Mutiny in Marienburg is all about piracy. The supplement certainly is about fulfilling smuggling missions! More than pirates, it is about devotion to fighting crime & committing crime in a port-city metropolis.

An account of the city's political struggle between it's powerful guild rivals.A Mutiny in Marienburg
Composed by criminal mastermind Rev Larny

A campaign in a commercial port must capitalise on expanding the scope for trade deals. The fundamentals require me to broaden player's perception of currency beyond treasures/wyrdstone shards, gold crowns and what equipment or contraband items (poisons, drugs, tainted items & Chaos artefacts) they can spend it on. Corpses, stragglers (NPC models) and captured models offer alternative revenue streams. Mordheim warbands or Marienburg gangs ability to control unique locations in the campaign and tap into the special uses of these encampments. Beyond paying ransoms and meeting usual bargains, bribery becomes another serious consideration.

Malign forces will compete to commit the most horrific acts. Constabularies naturally combat these destructive threats first if they can, depending on whose agency has jurisdiction! Other factions will be tempted to commit less harmful felonious activity for ill-gotten gains only to become brigands themselves.

"We have ways of making you talk..."
The way that Witch Hunters will deal with a suspected heretic is quite different to how the City Watch handles matters. Campaign objectives and scenario rules see to that nicely. For instance a watch patrol may consider interrogating a suspect while a witch hunters warband will torture the suspect!

New objectivePlot - Drowning the WitchWitch Hunters, Sisters of Sigmar and Mercenaries hiring a holy Warrior-Priest of Sigmar may follow this plot.

Cianty: Stu has been wanting to introduce trade to Mordheim for a long time now. Based on the concept of the Merchant Caravan, he wanted to see more trading, bargaining and fencing. Now I will leave it to him to talk further about this concept and the mechanics. What I want to do here is describe a mechanic somewhat independent of the trading itself, yet blending in with it perfectly. I think this is a great way to create a coherent feeling: providing numerous rules that are independent of each other, but contribute to the same greater goal.

My little part I am talking about here is 'bounty hunting'. For whatever disgusting reason I have always felt attached to this concept (in wargaming, that is!). I guess it is because I enjoy the social interaction between the players that goes far beyond the usual mutual head-bashing.

In Mordheim we already have the Captured result on the Heroes' Serious Injury chart. Capturing people and selling them back is a kind of trading, yet it is nicely independent as it can be done without using any advanced trading rules, but at the same time it can be covered by those rules as well.

Werekin: I will never forget the Bounty Hunter that Eliazar hired in when his Reikland River Brigands swept through during the 2nd series of our campaign! Bounty Hunters remain one of my firm favourites and definitely the number one most overlooked Hired Sword. They fight for any side when the price is right and they allow all kinds of interesting interactions with different warband objectives! Despite the motives of your gang, the Bounty Hunter proves one of the most flexible sell-swords. Whether a player leads a patrol of Watchmen trying to bring down a dangerous outlaw, or a criminal syndicate organising an abduction of innocent milkmaids the Bounty Hunter will always help to take the prize! He can assist in placing suspected felons under arrest, or simply aid in snatching victims off the docks!

"The punishment has to fit the crime..."
Rules for placing warriors under arrest appear under Scenario 9: Dead Freight. Also included are details for what happens to models after arrests have bee made. The outcomes are decided using the Conviction Chart which I created to encourage some entertaining situations between crime-fighters and convicts!

Cianty: I have always greatly enjoyed Nick Kyme's 'Fortune Hunters' article in issue 13 of the Town Cryer magazine. One of the cool Hired Swords presented therein is the Bounty Hunter. This guy had to have a triumphant comeback in Marienburg. His ability to capture opposing Heroes is a great mechanic to push the captives in the game. Additional rules for Captives? All models caught by the Bounty Hunter Hired Sword are brought to a Marienburg Prison (or a version of it). The Prison is a building. (Stu: Should models be granted access to) the Prison by playing a certain scenario?

Werekin: Yes, why not. Henceforth in Marienburg, buildings and fortifications plus other special locations are being referred to as encampments. These can be contested by playing scenarios designed to fit the purpose. There are two in the Rules section (Scenario 5: Stockade & Scenario 10: The Sting). As a consequence of playing a scenario that contests an encampment, it could be possible for a player's warband to free a friendly model that has already been captured or placed under arrest.

When a player holds an encampment, another player may take the opportunity to contest it. Motives may vary depending on the value of a location to each side. The outcome can be decided according to scenario guidelines or the players can agree this amongst themselves based on what is currently at stake in their campaign story.

e.g. Witch Hunters have established a Torture Chamber in the city. Cult of the Possessed decide to contest the encampment. The players fight a scenario and against all odds the followers of Chaos win! As the Torture Chamber is only of use to the torturous Sigmarites, the Possessed cultists raze the structure freeing any captured models in the process. When the Witch Hunters return to their encampment they find that it must be restored before being used again.

The restoration would be achieved in accordance with the guidelines for restoring encampments as described in the Epic Campaign Rules article, based on rules that first appeared in the Border Town Burning supplement.

Disclaimer - This blog post features some content originally composed by the heretic scribes Chris Templin & Stu Cresswell five years ago! Join us in celebrating the anniversary of Border Town Burning.